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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lean — to bend
  5. last — final
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. cell — a phone
  8. court — of a king
  9. tube — a container
  10. drill — army training
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. tube — the underground
  17. court — of law
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com